If you write about regulated industries or securities and banking topics, it can be challenging to keep track of developments in the regulatory space.  There is a startup that I’ve found useful for seeing new developments. It’s called  Compliance.ai.  Mostly, I now use it to track of news from FINRA and the SEC.  They have been reaching out to law schools and offering training and access to students and faculty.  They also allow users to track news from the CFPB, DOJ, Treasury, NYSE, DOL, and a bunch of other regulators.

I haven’t yet seen anything on it that I could not find elsewhere.  Much of the material can be found in the federal register, on the websites of self-regulatory organizations, or on the SEC’s website.  Instead of constantly canvasing all these websites, Compliance.ai allows users to put together a feed from the regulators they want to follow.  It’s also made it easier for me to see things like enforcement actions as they come out.  For example, two days ago FINRA published Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent NO. 2016051672301.  This fascinating AWC details how Paul Martin Betenbaugh consented to a three month suspension for:

In September and October 2015, on three separate occasions Bettenbaugh pretended to be a competing registered representative and posted internet ads explicitly soliciting sex that included that registered representative’s business cell phone number as the contact number for responses. By doing so, Betenbaugh violated FINRA Rule 2010.

Of course, not all of the regulatory updates are as interesting. 

Compliance.ai has have not paid me anything or asked me to write this post.  It’s useful, new, and has a relatively slick interface for tracking regulatory developments.  The only benefit I’ve received from them is access.